Thunder Horse Heritage by Elle James

Author:Elle James
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Suspense
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2012-06-01T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Stabbing pain radiated from the back of Tuck’s skull all the way through to his teeth. A moaning wail roused him from the fog of unconsciousness to semiconscious. The sound was so forlorn it made his heart ache for the person crying.

He sat up straight and fought a heavy wave of nausea and dizziness, unconsciousness threatening to claim him again. He had to stay awake. Someone needed him. For several long moments, he struggled to remember who that someone was.

Then it all came back to him. The gas station, the men wearing ski masks and carrying guns, the threat and Lily.

Tuck’s eyes jerked open and he spun in his seat to peer into the back, a ton of lead landing hard in the hollow of his belly. Lily was gone.

Another moan rose from the pavement beside the car.

Tuck swung a leg out of the car, then another. When both feet rested on the ground, he pushed upward, his arms bracing on the car for balance and support.

As he straightened, the throbbing at the base of his skull intensified, but the fog of dizziness decreased. He rounded the open back door and felt the sucker punch of failure hit him full in the chest.

Julia lay crumpled on the ground, her shoulders shuddering with deep, heart-wrenching sobs.

His head hurting so badly it brought tears to his eyes, Tuck dropped to his knees beside her and gathered her in his arms. “Oh, God, Julia. I’m sorry.”

“She’s gone.” Julia sobbed into his sweatshirt, her tears soaking through to his skin.

“We’ll get her back. I swear to you we’ll get her back.” He held her close, the ache in his chest far more excruciating than the one on the back of his head.

When the sobs subsided, Julia clutched the front of his shirt and stared up at him, her eyes swollen and desperate. “What did the kidnappers say? Did they leave a note? Instructions? Anything?”

He tentatively rubbed the back of his head, trying to remember exactly what they’d told him before knocking him on the back of the head with a tire iron. When the full extent of their demands filled his memory, his fists clenched into tight knots. “They want the recording and you in exchange for Lily.”

“Did you tell them we didn’t have it?” Julia clung to him.

“I told them it was at least five hours away.” Tuck pressed his fingers to his temple. “We have to get it back from Minneapolis, fast.”

“My God, they have Lily.” Julia squeezed her eyes closed. “Assuming we can get the phone back that soon, how am I supposed to get the video to them? How will we contact them? Who will be taking care of my baby?”

Tuck’s head ached, his eyes blurring from the pain. “They said to have the cell phone by midnight in Bismarck and they’ll contact us with instructions. We’re not to talk to anyone, police or FBI.”

“We have to give them whatever it takes. Lily isn’t leverage to be traded like money or gold.

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